Juventus secured a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Pafos in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz earning Man of the Match honors despite admitting he was not entirely satisfied with his performance.
The Bianconeri faced a challenging first half at the Allianz Stadium, enduring jeers from their own fans as Pafos created the better chances and struck the woodwork. However, Juventus found their determination after the break.
Weston McKennie broke the deadlock, firing into the roof of the net from a difficult angle. Just six minutes later, Jonathan David finished off a well-worked team move, putting Juventus up 2-0.
Self-Criticism Despite Victory
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the match, Yildiz praised the team’s shift in mentality while reflecting critically on his own contributions, specifically an earlier missed opportunity.
“It was a good performance, I think the first half was good too and we were lacking a goal, but we had more determination after the break and did well,” Kenan Yildiz said. “This victory is for the team, I can also do better when I missed a goal, I should’ve provided an assist for David, but I didn’t see him. At least I got it later.”
The victory was desperately needed for Juventus, who suffered a painful 2-1 Serie A defeat to Napoli on Sunday, leaving them stuck in seventh place domestically.
“The defeat was painful for us, we trained with concentration, we had a good performance today and hope to keep improving.”
High Praise from Spalletti
Yildiz also addressed recent high praise from his coach, Luciano Spalletti, who stated that the young forward does things in training that people wouldn’t believe.
“I don’t know, I always give 100 per cent in training, as it helps me to grow and means I can help the team in match situations,” the humble star responded.
This is the second consecutive Champions League win for Juventus, following their 3-2 victory away to Bodo/Glimt. The six points earned from their last two matches bring their total tally to nine points from six rounds, which bumps them up to 17th place in the rankings, just shy of the seeded teams heading into the play-offs.